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Posts for: December, 2016

The old stereotype with the words “pain” and “dental work” in the same sentence is no more. Using local or general anesthesia (or a combination of both) we can completely eliminate the vast majority of discomfort during dental procedures.

But how do you manage pain in the days after a procedure while your mouth is healing? The news is good here as well — most discomfort after dental work can be easily managed with a family of medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In most cases, you won't even need prescription strength.

You're probably already familiar with aspirin, ibuprofen and similar pain relievers for the occasional headache or muscle pain. These types of drugs work by blocking prostaglandins, which are released by injured tissues and cause inflammation. By reducing the inflammation, you also relieve pain.

Most healthcare providers prefer NSAIDs over steroids or opiates (like morphine), and only prescribe the latter when absolutely necessary. Unlike opiates in particular, NSAIDs won't impair consciousness and they're not habit-forming. And as a milder pain reliever, they have less impact on the body overall.

That doesn't mean, however, you don't have to be careful with them. These drugs have a tendency to thin blood and reduce its clotting ability (low-dose aspirin, in fact, is often used as a mild blood thinner for cardiovascular patients). Their use can contribute to bleeding that's difficult to stop. Excessive use of ibuprofen can also damage the kidneys.

That's why it's necessary to control the dosage and avoid long-term use of NSAIDs, unless advised by a physician. Most adults shouldn't take more than 2,400 milligrams a day of a NSAID and only during the few days of recuperation. There's no need to overdo it: a single 400-milligram dose of ibuprofen is safe and sufficient to control moderate to severe post-procedural pain for about five hours.

Our aim is to help you manage any pain after a procedure with the least amount of pain reliever strength necessary. That will ensure you'll navigate the short discomfort period after dental work safely and effectively.

Did you see the move Cast Away starring Tom Hanks? If so, you probably remember the scene where Hanks, stranded on a remote island, knocks out his own abscessed tooth — with an ice skate, no less — to stop the pain. Recently, Dear Doctor TV interviewed Gary Archer, the dental technician who created that special effect and many others.

“They wanted to have an abscess above the tooth with all sorts of gunk and pus and stuff coming out of it,” Archer explained. “I met with Tom and I took impressions [of his mouth] and we came up with this wonderful little piece. It just slipped over his own natural teeth.” The actor could flick it out with his lower tooth when the time was right during the scene. It ended up looking so real that, as Archer said, “it was not for the easily squeamish!”

That’s for sure. But neither is a real abscess, which is an infection that becomes sealed off beneath the gum line. An abscess may result from a trapped piece of food, uncontrolled periodontal (gum) disease, or even an infection deep inside a tooth that has spread to adjacent periodontal tissues. In any case, the condition can cause intense pain due to the pressure that builds up in the pus-filled sac. Prompt treatment is required to relieve the pain, keep the infection from spreading to other areas of the face (or even elsewhere in the body), and prevent tooth loss.

Treatment involves draining the abscess, which usually stops the pain immediately, and then controlling the infection and removing its cause. This may require antibiotics and any of several in-office dental procedures, including gum surgery, a root canal, or a tooth extraction. But if you do have a tooth that can’t be saved, we promise we won’t remove it with an ice skate!

The best way to prevent an abscess from forming in the first place is to practice conscientious oral hygiene. By brushing your teeth twice each day for two minutes, and flossing at least once a day, you will go a long way towards keeping harmful oral bacteria from thriving in your mouth.